Captain Birdseye is an iconic character in Britain, first hitting our TV screens advertising frozen seafood products back in 1967.

Fast forward 51 years and there’s a new captain in town: Riccardo Acerbi, 56, has been picked to be the new Captain Birds Eye.

The model-turned-actor replaces Mitch Commins, who took on the role, aged 68, two years ago.

A Birds Eye spokesman said: “With almost 35 years’ experience in front of the camera, Riccardo nabbed the role following a rigorous audition process at which he impressed Birds Eye with his genuine approach to portraying the Captain and love of the sea.”

But Twitter users are conflicted with one comparing the new actor to First Dates star Fred Sirieix.

Jon Crowley tweeted: “In other TV news, it appears that Fred the maitre de from the First Dates restaurant has been appointed as the new Captain Birdseye.”

New captain Riccardo made his TV debut yesterday in a 20 second advert on Channel 4.

The voice-over says: “Captain Birds Eye loves the simple things, like jumping into cold water on a hot day with his grandson. And these simply-made fish fingers with 100% wild-caught cod and crispy golden breadcrumbs.”

Captain Birds Eye is then seen jumping off the side of his trusty boat with his grandson in tow, plunging into the water.

While the SAS-style dive might seem impressive to most, it’s going to take a lot more than that to impress some fans.

Mike Hall tweeted: “So there’s a new Captain Birdseye, not a patch on the late 90s one imho.”

It’s believed Birds Eye poured a whopping £8m into the new face-lift of the Captain and his brand.